Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Tertiary, has charged students resident on campuses to be conscious in preserving power and cut down the usage of electricity.

He said while the government has asked the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to stop disconnecting power from educational institutions, it was necessary that students reduce the use of electricity to cut cost for their institutions.

Mr. Ablakwa who gave the advice at the third congregation of Accra Polytechnic for Bachelor of Technology students, announced that the government would soon engage student leaders to deliberate on sustainable ways of cutting the increasing power consumption by students in hostels on campuses.

He said government hopes to address and bring equity in the power arrangements in tertiary institutions to enable students who live on campus and those who live in private hostel facilities, to have equal access to electricity.

While arrangements were being made to clear the debt owed the ECG by the tertiary institutions, the Deputy Minister reminded the ECG that cabinet’s directive that educational and health institution indebted to the electricitycompany should not be disconnected, remained effective.

Professor Sylvester Achio, Rector of the Polytechnic, stated that the management of the school has made enormous progress toward the conversion of Polytechnics into Technical universities, adding that the polytechnic was ready for the conversion exercise.

He announced that the polytechnic has acquired a 130 acre land at Peheuasem to serve as a satellite campus to ease congestion in the school.

He congratulated the 89 graduating students, and urged them to effectively utilise the knowledge they have gained to support national development.